Devotion of the faithful to St. Anne is founded on the bond which unites her to Mary, whose mother she is. The association of Christian Mothers has chosen her as patron saint. Veneration of St. Anne originated in the East and was propagated in the West at the time of the crusades. This feast was instituted by Urban IV in 1378, and added to the general calendar of the Church by Sixtus IV; its celebration on July 26 was fixed by Gregory XIII in 1584.